Because of the high-speed trains, they are already drilling behind their houses. Nothing is approved, the municipality is angry

If everything goes according to plan, the construction of the high-speed rail line (VRT) between Prague and Brno should begin in 2029. The Railway Administration has already started exploratory drilling. However, those taking place in the Kutnohorsk Region have aroused resentment among the leadership of local municipalities.

The nine municipalities affected by the engineering-geological survey consider it illegal. “We think that the work should not take place, because the corridor is not defined in the Principles of Territorial Development of the region or other spatial planning documentation,” explains Miroslav Šafařík, the mayor of Vidice, located on the border of the Central Bohemian Region and Vysočina.

The municipalities submitted a call for comments and to stop the preparation of the VRT in their territory. It is addressed to the survey sponsor – the Railway Administration and to the executor – the SUDOP company.

The railway administration rejects the municipalities’ reservations. He refers to the linear law, which provides for the acceleration of the construction of strategically important infrastructure. “The railway administration is proceeding fully in accordance with the legislation during the survey. That is, according to the line law,” assures the spokesperson Nela Eberl Friebová. “The exploratory work project meets all requirements and was approved through the normal procedure,” he adds.

The Railway Administration does not want to comment on the accident, which happened last Tuesday, and referred to the police investigation. According to crime investigators, it is not yet clear who is responsible for the accident. “The police are currently investigating how the location was marked out, whether it was correctly targeted, and other circumstances,” described the course of the investigation, lieutenant Pavel Truxa.

According to the spokesperson of the SUDOP company, Jakub Ptačinský, the gas pipeline was punctured as a result of improper handling of the marked geodetic points. “Who manipulated them and who is the culprit will be clarified by the police investigation. We fully cooperate with her. We are mainly glad that there were no injuries,” he commented on the situation.

The municipalities that do not agree with the laying out of the VRT route are convinced that the Railway Administration does not have the necessary permission to carry out the survey.

In the appeal, they point out that the railway route is not currently defined in any spatial planning documentation, and therefore cannot be a transport infrastructure according to the Line Act.

According to the mayor of Paběnice, the route was rescheduled and the change was never approved. “It was supposed to be approved only by the ninth amendment to the Principles of Territorial Development of the Central Bohemian Region, and although it was discussed two years ago, it was never approved,” states Václav Kunášek.

The Central Bohemian Region confirmed that the ninth amendment to the Principles of Territorial Development had not yet been approved. “The public hearing on this matter has already taken place and the results are currently being evaluated. Only the regional council will decide whether or not to issue the relevant update by the end of this year,” comments Jiří Snížek, Deputy Governor for Regional Development and Spatial Planning.

He also confirmed that the route change is the subject of this update.

The municipality submitted the challenge on February 27 and requests an answer within 30 days. According to Šafařík, further legal steps will follow. “We have already taken the first legal step and we will continue if necessary,” he told Seznam Zprávám.